The present disclosure relates to a system and method for determining exclusion zone violations by detecting vehicles that are parked in an area that regulates and/or prohibits parking. However, it is appreciated that the present exemplary embodiments are also amendable to other like applications.
Municipalities regulate parking in certain areas for public safety and ease of access reasons. Areas that prohibit vehicles from parking, standing, and/or stopping are denoted as exclusion zones. Common examples of exclusion zones include, but are not limited to, specified vicinities that are proximate a fire hydrant, a sidewalk, a crosswalk, a road sign, a private road or driveway, a corner, a garbage container, and a driving lane, etc. A short term or limited hour parking zone is another example of exclusion zone in the sense that a violation occurs in the zone when parking exceeds the posted parking time limit.
Infractions of exclusion zone regulations are among the most commonly occurring parking violation. In some larger municipalities, about one-third of infractions can occur in exclusion zones. These infractions can result in substantial fines for the violators. Payment of these fines can generate significant revenue, into the millions, for municipalities.
Traditionally, a detection of exclusion zone infractions is performed by traffic law enforcement officers. However, this method is costly in labor and can result in lost revenues when infractions go undetected by the officers. In an effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency, municipalities are exploring the use of new technologies for automating traffic law enforcement.
One technology that has been used to automate traffic management includes in-ground sensors. Conventional sensor-based methods have been used to automate a detection of vehicles in parking spaces. For example, “puck-style” sensors and ultrasonic ceiling or in-ground sensors output a binary signal when a vehicle is detected in a parking area. The detected information is wirelessly communicated to authorities. One disadvantage associated with these sensor-based methods is a high cost for installation and maintenance of the sensors. In addition, the maintenance or replacement of a sensor may reduce parking efficiency if a parking space is made unavailable for the service work. Furthermore, many parking violations, such as double parking, cannot be detected through the use of in-ground sensors.
Video-based technology is being explored in other parking enforcement and management areas, such as for monitoring short term parking spaces that were traditionally metered and for determining parking space availability based on vehicle occupancy. The video-based sensing is much more extensible to additional functions as compared to in-ground metal sensors or ultra-sonic sensors. However, video-based technology has not been extended to a use of monitoring exclusion zones for enforcing parking regulations.
There is a need for a system and a method that uses video data received by a video-sensor for determining an occurrence of a violation. In this manner, the disclosure described herein can also increase revenue for municipalities by reducing an occurrence of missed fines and the costs of labor associated with detecting parking infractions.